Dominion CU Board Member Receives SBA Honor

Becky Merritt, a board member at Dominion Credit Union, was recently named Minority Small Business Champion by the SBA’s Richmond, Va., district office.

Merritt, vice president of shared services at Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy and also based in Richmond, was recognized for her work with the company.

Dominion’s supplier diversity program seeks out certified minority, female-owned, HUB zone and disabled service veteran-owned enterprises that are qualified to meet the company’s needs, the company said.

In 2012, $398 million in non-fuel procurement was spent with diverse suppliers, which was up 27% since 2011, according to Dominion.

In addition to serving on the board at the $260 million Dominion CU in Richmond, Va., Merritt chairs the advisory board for the Metropolitan Business League and serves on the Women Presidents' Educational Organization board. She also serves on committees for United Way Women's Leadership Initiative and the Edison Electric Institute.

“While Dominion continues to build and upgrade energy infrastructure to serve our customers' needs, we have a vested interest in growing our supply base, in building relationships and in identifying qualified diverse suppliers,” said Thomas Farrell, chairman and president/CEO of Dominion.

“I am pleased that Becky Merritt is leading these efforts, and delighted that those efforts are being recognized with this award,” Farrell added.

Merritt was presented with the award on June 24 during the 2013 Virginia Small Business Week Award luncheon in Richmond.

Dominion CU was founded in 1940 by employees of what was then known as the Virginia Public Service Co. The CU now serves nearly 22,000 members.

Dominion, the company, said it has a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines.